A Broken Fairy Tale
by aslycsi1315
Summary: A married couple lost in their delusions to create their "perfect fairy tale" begin kidnapping brunette men and women in Albany,NY. Problems arise when Hotch is also kidnapped, leaving the team with very little time and options to bring him home safely.
1. Chapter 1

"_Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace."- Eugene O'Neil_

November 18, 2011- Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York-11:30pm

"The princess is good and the prince is nice! So everything is going to be alright…" rang through the air in a dark alley in Empire State Plaza in Albany New York. A man dressed in a dark hooded coat sang while stalking up and down an alley, waiting for his prize to arrive. It was a cloudy night in the Capitol city; residents were sleeping throughout the city leaving only stragglers free to roam amongst the streets.

A block away, Gloria Harrington sprinted down State Street as fast as she could in her three inch heels. With two shopping bags daggling from her arms, she was heading towards her car five blocks away. The thirty-seven year old lawyer had lost track of time during her weekly shopping spree, leaving her to walk back to the car in the dead of night.

Once she had walked another block, she started to hear the singing from the man in the dark hooded coat. Gloria slowed her steps to a slow walk as the singing became louder and louder until she passed the man in the alley. He suddenly looked up at her, his eyes examining her physique.

Gloria swallowed and stared at him for a second before turning and crashing into a tall physical fit, cheery woman. Gloria only had seconds to look the woman in the eye before the woman asked, "Have I seen you before?"

"I'm not sure, ma am. Excuse me." Gloria stepped around the woman and tried to continue on her way, but the woman grabbed her arm and pulled her into the alley. In response, Gloria swung her bag at the woman and scratched her in the face.

It was then when she saw a taller, stronger male with a tazer in hand appear…

Who grabbed her and threw her into the red brick wall of the closest building, where she lost consciousness.

November 21, 2011- Albany Police Station- 6 Days later

"Hotch!"'

FBI Supervisory Special Agent and Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner jolted up in his chair at the sound of his name. He looked up to see SSA Derek Morgan staring at him worriedly with a case file in his right hand. Hotch embarrassedly straightened up and asked, "What time is it?"

"It's almost 5:30. Are you ok?"

"I'm alright." He wasn't, he was exhausted from rough nights filled with nightmares and anxious, but as usual, he kept his feelings from the rest of the team.

He stood up and glanced towards the window where the faint outline of the Corning Tower peeked through the cloudy skies on the damp Friday evening. The team was in Albany, New York investigating a case of ten serial kidnappings. The latest victim, Gloria Harrington , had been found in a dumpster on the South side of Albany. Dressed in a long black dressed and heavy makeup, the Albany police had found a connection to three other bodies with the same MO, stab wounds, and signature, evening attire. Two women, two men; found in dumpsters all over the city. The unusualness of the case prompted Albany to call in the Behavioral Analysis Unit immediately.

After flying to Albany, the team spent two days coming up with a profile and digging deep into each victim's lives. The best connection that they could find between the victims was that they were all brunettes and had been seen at a local shopping mall the day before their disappearances.

"Autopsy got lucky and found a small trace of DNA on the most recent victim's body. It was sweat and we got only a familial DNA match," Morgan told Hotch. The Unit Chief looked away from the window and received a file from DNA trace from Morgan.

"Agent Morgan?" a young Albany detective called from the doorway. Morgan nodded before giving the detective a finger, signaling him to give them a minute. " It's a married couple that lives in the city. I'll be back in a second," Morgan finished before following the detective out of the conference room.

Before Hotch could take a breath, SSA Emily Prentiss stepped into the room and quietly closed the door. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Prentiss," He opened the case file and spotted the names, "Mary Anne and Daniel Dent, a married couple living on Partition Street here in Albany. I'm going to go check it out."

"Hotch, "Prentiss said, "something's bothering you and everyone knows it. Talk to me."

_I can't- it's a stupid nightmare. _"I'm really ok. I just haven't been getting a lot of sleep."

"Why?" Prentiss stood squarely in front of the door, blocking Hotch from walking away from the conversation. She narrowed her eyes at him with crossed arms, challenging him to try to use his authority against her. Slipping on his coat, Hotch sighed and said, "I've been…..I think I'm losing my objectivity on this case."

"How's that?" She was taken back; rarely did the Unit Chief lose his objectivity.

"I know it's nothing, but the victims all look like you and I."

"Hotch, it's just a coincidence. We've had cases where that's happened all the time."

"Well, I've also been having this weird dream where….you and I are the unsub's last victims and we die. And I've been having it almost every night now."

Prentiss dropped her arms and took a step towards him. "How long have you been having this nightmare?"

"A month….but you're right, it's probably nothing. I've- I've better go; it's getting kind of late." Using the opportunity, he walked past Prentiss and pushed open the door of the conference room.

"At least let someone go with you!" Prentiss called after him, making him stop in his tracks.

"It's a simple questioning….and I need the space. I'll be alright. I promise."

Dent Resident- Partition Street, Albany 5:55pm

Twenty minutes later, Hotch knocked on the front door of the Dent's resident. He shivered from the light drizzle that started on his way over to the home. The driver over also was oddly comforting and gave him the time he needed to get himself together.

For now.

The door suddenly whipped open, revealing a Mary Anne Dent. With her rosy cheeks immediately blushing, she giggled in delight at the sight of Hotch. Her reaction made Hotch tense; _something's not right. No one is that happy to see a federal agent on their door steps. _

"Ms. Dent, I'm Agent Hotchner with the FBI and I have a few questions regarding the kidnappings in the area. " Hotch watched Mary Anne examine him visually as if she was checking for something.

"Oh, ok. What's your first name? I assume it isn't Agent?"

_I don't like this at all….._ "Aaron," he answered hesitantly. A sudden crashing noise erupted from behind Mary Anne. Hotch immediately pushed past Mary Anne with his gun drawn and entered the home. He scanned the small living room and kitchen before spotting the back door dangling off the hinges. He sprinted towards it and found himself in the small backyard.

Hotch raised his weapon when he spotted Daniel Dent running around the back of the house. The agent sprinted after him towards the house cellar. Once Daniel reached the cellar, he suddenly slowed down to a jog, giving Hotch time to catch up.

Hotch jumped out towards Daniel and aimed his gun towards the men, who stopped in his tracks near the driveway. "Hands where I can see them!" the agent yelled.  
>Daniel put his hands up and taunted, "What are you going to do to me, Agent? Kill me?"<p>

_Something's not right! _"Hands on the ground where I can see them, now!"

"You seem certain of your decision, I like it," Daniel responded. He slowly put his hands down and smiled at his wife, who now stood in the shadows by the cellar, unbeknownst to Hotch.

"Put your hands up now or I will shoot you!"

"I think you'll do just fine."

Hotch let out a soft, "What?" just as Mary-Anne stepped out from the shadows. He only caught a glimpse of her before she slammed a crowbar into his stomach and then across his face. Hotch instantly lost consciousness and felt to the ground, his gun sliding a few feet away from him. She dropped the crowbar and let out a triumphant laugh.

"He's a tough one, isn't he?" Daniel remarked, noting Hotch's crumpled position on the ground. He kicked the handgun away and caught a view of Hotch's ankle holster. He bent down, pulled out the pistol, and said, "He's prepared for anything except for my darling dame."

Daniel turned Hotch onto his back and began to dig through the agent's pockets. "He has a badge- wow; I sound like an investigator, don't I? Well, Mary Anne, you think he'll do?"

"Handsome, well built, a savior," Mary-Anne grinned," He's perfect."


	2. Chapter 2

**Albany Police Station- 74 minutes later**

"Dave, can I ask you a question in private?" Prentiss asked the eldest agent, who was pouring himself a cup of coffee. He stopped mid pour at the fearful look on Prentiss' face. "Yeah, everything ok?"

Prentiss swallowed and pointed over to Conference Room D. She entered it and closed the door behind Rossi. "I'm really worried about Hotch," she said in one breath.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, first, it's been a little over an hour and he hasn't been heard from," Prentiss stated, "That's just not like him."

"Well, did you call him?" Prentiss sighed, Rossi was always the one to be calm in any situation. She pulled out her phone and dialed Hotch's number. After two rings, it went to voicemail. "It went straight to voicemail, which means he could be in trouble or-"

"He's interviewing the Dents and doesn't want to be disturbed, Emily," He put a hand on her shoulder, " I know that…the last time a situation like this happened, Foyet had gotten a hold of him, but I assure you that Aaron's fine."

_Maybe I'm just being paranoid. _"You're probably right. I-I'm sorry."

"Nope, it's alright," Rossi motioned over to where the remaining teammates sat, "Come on, let's catch this guy and head home." She smiled and walked out of the room towards Morgan, who was sitting on a desk as he spoke to Reid. Prentiss suddenly slowed down her pace when she saw JJ speaking to an Albany police officer with a horrified expression on her face. The blonde profiler shook the officer's hand before sprinting towards the team.

"Guys, we have a big problem!" JJ exclaimed, "Hotch is missing!"

"What do you mean 'he's missing'?" Prentiss asked, her nerves rising. _Please don't be as bad as I think it is…please!_

"An officer was driving by the Dent household and they saw the SUV Hotch took just sitting in front of the house even though both vehicles for the Dents were gone. The officer decided to just walk by just to make sure everything was ok. He found Hotch's weapons, wallet, cell phone, jacket, and blood by the cellar, but not Hotch, Mary Anne or Daniel."

"He's been gone for an hour! Damn it!" Morgan exclaimed.

"I don't know how this happened, but someone needs to go to the house and check things out. The rest of us need to stay here and work on the case," Rossi directed.

"I'll go," Morgan volunteered. He was almost immediately followed by Prentiss volunteering, "I'll go as well."

JJ nodded and said, "Good luck," as the two agents grabbed their jackets. "Come back safe."

**Dent Household**

Morgan screeched the SUV to a stop before Prentiss jumped out and walked briskly to the Dent home. The area wasn't like what he had expected; it was a small house in the middle of a new housing area. There were only two other homes on the block and multiple open fields surrounding the area.

Morgan scanned the area and gulped. _We shouldn't have had him do this alone. _

"Morgan!" Prentiss suddenly called. The agent jogged over to her side where she knelt in front the path of blood drops the police officer had found earlier. She narrowed her eyes as she scanned the path which led to the small concrete driveway. "What do you think?"

"I think they hit Hotch and dragged him to a vehicle. We're in the middle of nowhere- it could be anything- a car, truck, van. Open area means no witnesses."

"Why would they take Hotch? We assumed that they had planned each abduction. " Prentiss stood up and began observing the details of the front yard, searching for something that would appear to be out of place.

"Victim of Opportunity? He…and you are both brunettes," Morgan suggested, noticing the neighbors peeking their heads out the doors at the sight of them.

"Well, that doesn't explain the planning-,"Prentiss closed her eyes and groaned in annoyance. The day before, JJ, Reid, and Hotch had walkthrough the shopping center, asking Albany residents if they had noticed anyone with any suspicious behavior. Near the movie theater, they had accidently been caught in the shooting of a news story in the mall, which within minutes, aired on televisions across the Albany area.. "Derek, the walkthrough that Reid, JJ, and Hotch did- they were caught on camera! Damn it! We shouldn't have let him go alone!"

"Emily, this isn't your fault!"

"Derek, he's been acting weird for weeks because of an aching feeling of his! Now, he must be-oh God, how did we mess this up?" She cursed under a breath and kicked one of the hedges in frustration.

Morgan pulled her close and told her, "None of this is your fault, you hear me? We'll bring Hotch home-safe. Ok?"

"Alright. Now what?"

"We hunt those bastards down," he muttered, pulling out his cell phone to call Garcia. "You're going to tell Garcia?" Prentiss asked with a raised eyebrow. The gentle technical analyst always freaked when one of her babies as she called them, got in trouble. _This isn't going to go well, especially after with what happened with Foyet, Tobias, and Doyle._

"We have to." He speed dialed Garcia and heard after two rings, "Speak and it shall be done."

"Baby girl, I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure, sweet thing. Just name it and it's yours."

"I need you to promise to be focused and not freaked out after what I'm about to tell you." A silence followed; Morgan was certain for a moment that the technical analyst had gone into shock.

"Tell me."

"Hotch was kidnapped by the unsubs," Morgan paused before continuing, "I need you to pull up the footage from last night that Hotch, JJ, and Reid got caught on."

"….I can do that," Garcia said slowly, her voice shaking. "Anything…else?"

"I need you to keep digging and get as much as possible on the Dents. We're at their home and no one's here. See if they have any other properties and get officers and CSU down here ASAP. Ok?"

"Ok….I'll call…when I get something. Bye."

Morgan heard her hang up before muttering, "That went well. Let's head back. We'll rerun the profile and get Albany crime scene techs in the house to see if there is anything pertinent. It's going to be hard, but we need to treat this as fair as we can. Hotch is the fifth victim."

Prentiss nodded with closed eyes. _Hopefully he'll come home to us safe as the last victim. _

**Albany Police Station- 2 hours, 6 minutes missing**

Rossi clicked the pause button and froze the frame on the news footage from the previous day. The frame had included a panoramic view of the area near the theater where a viewer could see Hotch, JJ, and Reid. Hotch had been the most predominate one shown in the frame.

JJ stared at the screen with her hand on her chin. It didn't make sense; there was nothing that gave away that they were FBI to viewers. Rossi leaned back in the chair, lost in his thoughts. Morgan and Prentiss were on their way back from the household, empty handed. Reid had taken three officers and returned to the shopping mall.

Rossi heard a beep come from the laptop and he clicked it, pulling up Garcia through the webcam.

"Sir, I figured out something big," Garcia said, her expression fearful yet focused. She pulled up photos of all the victims.

"OK, look at each photo carefully. What do you see?"

Rossi closed his eyes, "We don't have time for this. Just tell us."

"They're dressed up for a party," JJ said softly, "It's like they're going to a ball…..like a fairy tale."

"You're serious?"

"Rossi, look at them. The men had jobs where they could sweep a woman off their feet- a surgeon, firefighter...FBI agent. This is a delusion for the Dent's...I think…they want to find a prince and a princess. I think that's why the kidnappings are serial-"

"Because they haven't found them yet."

"Exactly and yesterday they saw on the news or at the mall a tall, dark haired male that's-"

"Strong and handsome?" Garcia suggested with a smile.

"Yes and that's why they took him."

"How did they know that he was coming? Alone?"

JJ looked towards the bullpen filled with Albany police officers. "I don't know. I really don't."


	3. Chapter 3

**Meadowfield Mall- Southern Albany- 4 hours missing**

Reid leaned over the balcony on the second floor of the mall and scanned the bottom floor. The mall was nearly empty; only a few stragglers hovered around the department stores. _Makes sense with the kidnappings. I need to find anyone that sticks out. _

Reid stretched his neck before spotting a stumpy male in his mid-thirties walking next to stores on the bottom floor. The man stopped at every store that was closed, peered inside, and then went to the next store.

_He's...probably just a little off-move on. _Reid sighed and turned to the officers behind him," Let's scan the parking lot again." He glanced back at the man one more time before turning and walking away.

**Location: Unknown-5 hours, 37 minutes missing**

Hotch let out a moan as he slowly opened his eyes. Not only was his head throbbing, his abdomen and chest were hurting as well. For some odd reason, he also felt feverish. He attempted to move, but then realized that he was bound and gagged; he had tape on his mouth and had zip ties around his wrist and ankles. There was also a chain on his ankle attaching him to the bed, axing any chance of escape.

The Agent turned his attention to his surroundings and found himself on a large oak bed in what appeared to be a basement. The room was scarcely lit with any windows and had a small wooden door that appeared to be accessible only from the outside and a small ceiling fan covered in cobwebs that was located above the bed.

_What the hell happened? _Hotch thought. The last thing he remembered was arriving at the Dent home.

_Creak._

The door suddenly swung open revealing Mary-Anne, holding onto a small butane lighter. Hotch tried to scoot back as she walked towards him with a big smile across her face. "Aaron," she sang in daintily voice, "I'm so glad you're up! I didn't mean to hit you like that. Well, you're probably so confused as to why you're here."

She put a hand on his shoulder, forcing him onto his back on the bed. She placed her knee onto his stomach and rested it there; as the agent winced and struggled to breathe, Mary Anne said, "We're having a ball and we'd like you to be the prince, but first we-I need to see how tough you are. My husband and I only like the best, which is why we chose you."

_A ball- that makes sense with the outfits that the victims had been found in! _

"Well, let's see your tolerance level." Mary-Anne pulled up his shirt and lit the lighter, sparking Hotch to squirm in response. She then held it against his skin and Hotch winced. Mary-Anne grinned ear-to-ear at his response. "Nice job, Aaron! Well, you're an FBI agent….you need to be tough."

_This is bad, this is really bad. _"Mmmpfh!" and a disapproving glare was the only thing he could do to show his feelings.

"Again, shall we?"

_Oh no. _She lit the lighter and held it against his upper abdomen and then continued the process for five minutes, moving around his stomach. Each time, Hotch only winced, deep down struggling to hide the pain he was feeling.

"Well, let's try other body parts, shall we?"

She started the process on his thigh, burning a hole through his recently purchased dress pants. She moved onto his feet and arms. By now, Hotch was barely holding himself together.

"Aaron, I'm impressed! You've made it the farthest out of any of the other men!" Mary-Anne exclaimed. She dropped the lighter, allowing Hotch a moment to access his injuries. Every spot on his body burned; he didn't think he'd be able to last much longer.

"I have one last test, "she finally said. Mary-Anne put her hands around Hotch's left ankle and smiled at the captive. "Here we go."

She twisted the ankle as hard as she could, breaking multiple bones and tearing mutliple muscles. Her captive moaned before passing out from the pain. _I'm impressed, _she thought, _I think he'll do just fine._

**Albany Police Station: 6 Hours missing**

"Ok, so we have to do this in two teams," Rossi directed to his teammates and seven Albany police officers, " Half of us need to focus on where these two," he pointed two DMV photos of the Dents, " are more likely to go. The other half is working on preventing anymore kidnappings in this area. Alright?"

After receiving nods, Rossi opened his mouth to give the next set of directions, but stopped when an officer sprinted into the room and exclaimed, "There's been another kidnapping."

_Damn it._ "Who is it?"

"Mattie Kleau, a teacher from Western Albany. She was walking home from a late dinner before she disappeared."

"Alright, alright." Rossi sighed and thought, _I hope to hell that these two impress the Dents. Aaron and Mattie's lives depend on it. _

**Location Unknown: 9 Hours missing**

_Crack._

"Mmphh?" Hotch moaned as he woke at the sound of the creak. _How long have I been out?_

_Creak. _The basement door slowly opened and Daniel and Mary Anne stepped into the room.

_Not again. _Mary- Anne gave Hotch a motherly smile and walked over to the bed, dropping a pile of clothes and items at the foot of the bed. It was then that Hotch spotted a short, stubby man standing behind Daniel, with a first aid kit in hand.

Daniel walked over to Hotch, who was scooting backwards, and forced the agent onto his knees while on the bed. Mary Anne began undoing Hotch's shirt and said, "We found another girl and think you'll like her. Her name is Mattie." She cut off his undershirt and began wiping his abdomen and chest. Every touch to his skin felt like he was being violated; the worst was Stanley watching him intently.

"You're son is gorgeous," Mary Anne stated, starting small talk. "He looks just like out Stanley did when he was ten."

_How the hell does she know- right, they have my wallet. _Hotch was pushed onto his side, once they were ready to change his pants. The moment he saw a pair of underwear in the pile of clothes, he instantly began panicking, thinking, _No-you aren't going to strip me!_

"Oh, don't be stubborn Aaron," Daniel cooed. Hotch tried with all his might to stop them from stripping him, but only failed. Once naked, Mary-Anne began wiping him down as Daniel chuckled at Hotch's anxious behavior_._

_I feel violated-I'm being violated._

After five minutes of wipe downs, Mary-Anne began cutting the zip ties around his ankles. Hotch momentarily prepared himself to take her down, but was stopped when Daniel put a hand on Hotch's throat and a grip around his restrained wrists. Mary Anne pulled on a pair of dress slacks on him while Hotch struggled to breathe against Daniel's grip.

Daniel suddenly pulled out a gun from his pocket and pointed it at Hotch's head while Mary Anne retied his ankles and undid the zip ties on his wrist. "Move or blink and I'll send you home to Jack in a box."

Hotch froze as he let Mary Anne dress him with eyes focused on Daniel. After being re-restrained, Daniel smiled and said, "Well, you look much more presentable. My boy here wants a few minutes with you so….we'll be back."

"Hi, Aaron," Stanley said once both men were alone. He climbed onto the bed and said, "I-I…need to check you out," he stammered.

Hotch forced himself to thing about the team; he tried to remember the good times and the bed. Memories like eating out in New York or watching Charlie Chaplin even after Gideon had left filled his mind, but didn't allow him to fully ignore what was being done to him.

It was vile, violating, horrendous….

Every time something was done to him, the agent would flinch and Stanley would press down harder on the agent's shoulders to stop him from moving. Not having the ability to fight back, Hotch could only feel a single tear go down his cheek.

_What's going to happen to me?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Albany Police Station- 10 hours 45 minutes missing**

"I just got off the phone with Mattie Kleau's boyfriend and he said that Mattie never noticed anyone following or watching her," Prentiss told Rossi in a hurried breath, "Since it was so late, the police couldn't find any witnesses to Mattie's kidnapping."

Rossi bent over the table and growled in annoyance. " Alright, alright- so what do we have so far?"

"Brunettes are the Dent's focus, they kill and dump those who don't live up to their expectations. The medical examiner told JJ that each victim suffered through all types of abuse- electric shock, whipping, beating- you name it. Should we alert the media?"

"No, we don't know the mind frame that our unsubs are in. Let's wait and play it by ear…Reid!" He called over to the youngest profiler who was concentrating on a map of the Albany area. Reid sat up, alert, and answered, "Yeah?"

"I need you to scout the mall again and this time: scout the blocks around the mall as well. There's got to be something that we're missing."

Reid nodded in agreement and picked up his jacket; Prentiss eyed him for a second before stating, "I'll go with him."

"No," Rossi said. He ignored her pouting and finished, "Emily, I know that you want to help, but…you fit the victimologoy. We lost Hotch because we didn't pay attention to that- I don't want to lose you too."

"Dave, I can't just sit here!" Prentiss exclaimed. She then lowered her voice, "I can't." Rossi raised an eyebrow and pulled her over to a corner in the conference room and asked, "Are you saying that out of concern for a friend or for someone that you want to be more than that?"

_I don't even know myself. _ "Dave, I'll be more of help if I can go out into the field."

He sighed at her dismissal of his question. "I'm sorry, Emily, but you have to stay here." Prentiss watched him turn away and thought, _He's right- what is Hotch to me? Would I want to be more than just friends?_

**Meadowfield Mall- 11 hours, 5 minutes missing**

Reid walked slowly through the mall once again, picking up every detail his mind could take in. After walking through a four mile radius around the mall, he entered the nearly empty mall once again. He knew there was something that they were missing, something needed to be found fast.

Hotch's life was on the line.

"The Prince is good, the Prince is nice," he suddenly heard from the mall's dinning center. It was the same odd man that Reid had seen the last time that he was in the mall. The man was now sitting at a bench, rummaging through a large black trash bag.

_Talk to him._ "Sir, my name is Dr. Spencer Reid. Can we talk?" Reid called out cautiously, not wanting to scare the man. He slowly sat down on the bench as the man sang, "Everyone'll go to the ball again..."

"Sir, can you-" Reid froze when he spotted an FBI Kevlar vest in the bag- a vest with blood on it.

Changing tactics, he asked, "That's a pretty nice vest. Where did you get it?'

"From the Prince," the man answered excitedly. Reid nodded and asked, "Hey, do you want to go on a cool ride to a police station? It's a really cool place to see; I'll hold your bag while you're there and I promise that I'll give it back."

"Ok, but it can't be too long. Momma and Daddy are expecting me back!"

Reid carefully took the bag and opened it. He could see the vest, a bloody shirt, pants, and what Reid could assumed was Hotch's wallet. _I think I just found our unsub._

**Location Unknown: 12 Hours, 13 minutes Missing**

It felt like it had been hours since the Dents had dressed and cleaned him up. Hotch felt fearful, violated, and anxious. To make matters worse, he felt like he was getting sicker by the minute. The Dents weren't planning to kill him, for all he knew, but they were unpredictable. The wife seemed the most delusional and for some sick reason their son seemed fascinated with him.

The touching, the staring, and even what Stanley had done after….

He was raped.

_I can't believe that that happened. What would the team think of me? _Hotch winced at the memory; it was like relieving the attack from Foyet over and over again.

_I have to try to reason with Stanley or Mary-Ann! Daniel is the power holder and might kill me if I try to talk him out of this whole affair. _He closed his eyes at the thought, trying to ignore the pain shooting through his body.

Hotch was so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't heard Mary Anne and Daniel come down the stairs. Daniel tightly gripped the arms of a bound and weak woman who Hotch didn't recognize._ They kidnapped another person. At least it's not Emily…._The thought of her going through the same torture made him wince again.

The bound woman was thrust forward onto the ground, landing on her knees. Daniel pulled out a pistol and aimed it at her, examining her as well.

"What do you think, hon?" he called back to Mary-Anne. "Do they make a cute couple?"

"Yep…yes- I think this will work," Mary Anne said, "Mattie and Aaron. I love the sound of that."

Mattie whimpered out a cry before she was taken forcefully back up the stairs by Mary Anne. Daniel smiled maliciously at Hotch before saying, "Oh, there's something that I've been meaning to do for a while now."

His next move was unexpected; Daniel pulled a cloth from his pocket and blindfolded Hotch.

_No, NO-NO! If I can't see, I can't- they can't leave me alone blindfolded! _Hotch heard the footsteps leave the room and then suddenly silence. The Unit Chief froze, taking short, staggered breaths.

_Think about the team, think about Jack, _Hotch repeated in his head until without knowing it, he fell asleep.

**Albany Police Department- 14 Hours Missing**

Morgan folded his arms and stared at Stanley Dent, the man Reid had found in the mall. Stanley now sat across from Morgan in the interrogation room. He was grateful that Reid had spotted him, but they were delayed once it was concluded that Stanley was a mentally disabled man. After hunting for a few hours, they had found a tense, irritable woman from social services to help them interview Stanley.

"What's your name?" Morgan asked as he dropped a case file onto the metal desk. The man sniffed and rubbed his nose, "Stanley Dent. Can I go home now?"

"Agent Reid found you talking about a prince. Can you tell me what you meant?"

"Did you trick Mr. Dent into coming here without an explanation?" The social services representative suddenly snapped at Morgan.

He responded, "Lives are on the line. We did what we had to do. If I were you, I'd hope to hell that none of those lives were lost after us having to hunt you down for _four_ hours."

The representative instantly quieted down, allowing Morgan turned his attention back to Stanley. "What were you talking about, Stanley?"

"Momma and Daddy found the perfect prince and…I took a girl-her name's Mattie- she's going to be the princess! I need to get home-"

Morgan dropped a photo of Hotch in front of Stanley. "The prince that you keep talking about- is it this man?"

"Yeah- you know him?"

"He's my superior and a very close friend. Where is he?"

"He's with Momma and Daddy: he's going to be the prince."

"I know that, Stanley. Where is Agent Hotchner?"

"He's at the ball getting ready! Geez, you need to listen!"

Morgan put his hands on the table and glared into Stanley's eyes. The representative gripped her briefcase very tightly at Morgan's aggressiveness. "Where is Agent Hotchner?"the agent repeated.

"That's his last name? I didn't know that."

"You took him and you didn't know this?"

The representative darkened her expression. "Agent Morgan, what proof-"

"I didn't take him- Momma and Daddy did."

Morgan turned around and faced the interrogation window to catch his breath. _Calm down and try this again. Now we know for sure that Mary- Anne and Daniel took Hotch. Hotch is over six feet tall; it's a two man job to take someone of his skill and physique down. _After a minute of thinking, Morgan turned around and faced Stanley again.

"What have your parents done with Hotc-Aaron and Mattie?" Morgan asked in a calmer tone.

"They took Aaron, tied him up and put him in the basement. Mattie's tied up somewhere upstairs. Mattie's room is a really nice room- it has pictures of farms and-"

"Stanley, answer the question."

Stanley crossed his arms and pouted. "I did! You're really mean!"

"Your parents kidnapped and killed innocent people! What did they do to the people that they took?"

"Well, they tried to see who the best was. All I know is that Daddy took the losers to the shed and killed them- I don't know how. I'm glad we found Mattie and Aaron, though. I got talk to them, check them-"

"How did you do that?"

"I made sure that their bodies was good. I really liked them ," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "and then I did something really naughty."

_Here we go. _"What did you do, Stanley?"

Stanley put a hand near his mouth and like a child, spelled out in a whisper, "s-e-x."

_Did he- did he do what I think he just did ? _Morgan laid out a picture of every victim of the Dent's, including Hotch and Mattie. " For investigative purposes…..Which two did you do that to?"

Stanley rocked back and forth and touched a Mattie and Hotch's photos. Morgan stepped back, fighting every nerve telling him to strangle Stanley.

"You sexually assaulted Mattie Kluea and my friend?" From outside, Rossi's eyes widened as he felt concern; mostly for Hotch and a little for Stanley, who Rossi was sure Morgan was going to strangle any minute now. JJ closed her eyes in shock and Reid stepped towards the door, ready to stop Morgan if the agent snapped.

Prentiss turned her head away from the glass and walked over to the other side of the hallway. _If those bastards did anything else to him, I will kill them. _She bent her head down and swallowed. Out of the many times that co-workers, FBI or not, had been in trouble, she had only felt this sick and scared during one another incident.

It was with Foyet, a major incident where Hotch's life was in danger. She thought, _maybe…maybe, I've fallen….no; I couldn't have fallen for him! Have I?_

Back inside the interrogation room, Stanley told Morgan, "Yeah, it was fun. Mattie cried forever after...and your boss was real quiet after."

Morgan started to pace slowly as a way to deal with his rising anger.

"Anyway, so there's also a ball- do you want to come? I can tell you when the date-"

Morgan suddenly lunged forward towards Stanley, but was stopped short of Stanley by Reid, who grabbed his arm. Rossi sprinted into the room and grabbed Morgan's other arm and pulled him to the wall as Morgan yelled, " No- let me at him!"

Stanley jumped up and cowered back to the opposing corner as Rossi and Reid pulled their livid colleague out of the interrogation room. Rossi pulled Morgan into the adjoining conference room as Reid let Morgan's arm go and muttered, " That son of a-"

"That son of a bitch! I can't believe this!" Morgan yelled. He slammed a fist into the wall in anger as JJ sat down at the table in shock. "Hotch- My God- we need to get him home," she whispered.

"Morgan, he is a mentally disabled man- some of this could just be a misunderstanding! "Rossi exclaimed as Morgan started to pace in front of him. " We can't be sure of this until we find these guys and get Hotch and Mattie home!"

"He may be dead, Dave. You just said- he could be confusing all of this-" Reid stated quietly.

"Don't talk like he's dead," JJ snapped, " If we do that-"

"It's been 14 hours, JJ. The chance of him- the both of them surviving is getting lower by the hour. We need to be realistic-"

Rossi sent a glare to both JJ and Reid. "We can't tear each other's heads off and we can't talk about Aaron like he's dead. We're all upset and that is perfectly normal, but we need to focus and bring Hotch home. I'll go talk and speak with Stanley again."

In the interrogation room, Stanley fiddled with his fingers for fifteen minutes as the representative calmly explained the situation to him. At the end of the fifteen minute period, Rossi quietly entered the room. He placed the same folder Morgan had held onto the table.

"I assume he'll be disciplined?" the representative exclaimed.

"Sorry about my friend there. He's upset," Rossi said calmly, trying to earn over Stanley's trust. He ignored the rep's question. Stanley snorted, "He should learn some manners!"

"Yeah….we're trying that. Hey, Stanley, I know you're trying to get ready for the ball, but my team and I are Aaron's friends and we'd like him back."

Stanley placed both palms onto the interrogation table. "Uuuuhhhh….I don't know. A lot of them died and...We had to search really really hard...I think he caught a cold. Our basement's really cold-"

_So they're alive…for now. _"I'm sorry that they didn't survive. You said that you have Aaron in the basement?"

Outside the interrogation room, JJ watched the interrogation room with her hands on her hips. Her legs were weak from fatigue; the long case had her beyond exhausted. She was dying to sleep, but knew that if anything happened to Hotch while she took a nap, she would never forget herself.

"Anything?" Prentiss asked, suddenly appearing next to JJ. The blonde agent twitched at her friend's appearance; she was so out of it, she didn't even hear Prentiss walk into the room.

"No..I don't know. He's just babbling aimlessly. We do know that they have Hotch in a basement, he and Mattie are still alive, and that Hotch may be getting sick."

"Damn. Can we ever get any good news on this case?"

"No," JJ let out an exhaustive sigh, "Where's Morgan and Reid?"

"I sent them for a walk- they're upset, especially Morgan. I hope to God that Hotch is alright."

"Me too. Are you ok?"

"Yeah." _I'm not, I'm scared. I'm so scared for him._


	5. Chapter 5

**Albany Police Station- 17 Hours missing**

Prentiss yawned and took a small sip of her coffee. Behind her, Morgan sat at the conference table, looking through each crime scene photo of the Dent Household. Reid and Rossi had left an hour prior to go get food. After a long argument with Rossi, JJ had gone to get some rest at the hotel.

_Where are you, Aaron? _Prentiss thought as she took another sip of her coffee. 17 hours was too long- the longer he went without being rescued, the worse chance Hotch had of surviving it.

Prentiss felt a tear run down her cheek before suddenly Reid burst into the room, his eyes filled with excitement.

"If they chose Hotch off of seeing him on the TV, maybe we can use this to our advantage!" he exclaimed all in one breath. Rossi stepped into the room with JJ, a little more lively, behind him.

"I'm lost," Prentiss replied. Reid continued, "What if we created an appeal directly to them using someone that falls into their preference range? Like bait, you know? We can fake an interest in their plans and try to get them to contact us-"

"Slow down, Reid!" Morgan said. Reid took a breath and finished, "It'll allow us to track them since Stanley isn't talking…..so who does it?"

"I'll do it," Prentiss answered quietly. When all eyes fell on her, she continued, "I fit their ideal princess and since I know Hotch-"

"Absolutely not," Rossi cut her off, "I'm not putting a target on your back!"

"It'll allow me to grab their attention."

"And if they find you to be a better option, they may kill Mattie!"

"Not if I appeal to them! If I can get them to contact me, which they will if I tell them that I know Hotch personally. I can negotiate with them as a loved one and ask them not to hurt Mattie or Hotch. Dave, please let me do this."

Rossi muttered a curse under his breath. "Fine, "Rossi directed the lead detective, Christopher Bentley, over to him. "Alright. Keep it simple and appeal to them only, Emily. Detective Bentley, we need to set up a press conference to air on as many channels as possible. We've figured out a way to get the Dent's attention."

_I hope I don't screw this up…not just for the case…_ "I'll be fine, Dave. I promise," Prentiss stated. JJ touched her shoulder and said, "Well, let's get you dressed up then."

"What? Why?"

"You have to look the part if….you want to appear as a princess…..maybe even Hotch's princess." She chuckled, earning a glare from Prentiss. "Just be yourself and you should be fine."

"JJ, if you want to say something, go ahead and say it."_ She thinks it too; she thinks I'm in love with Aaron._

"I have nothing to say," the blonde profiler said slyly. She pulled Prentiss towards the bathroom. "Come on; let's get you ready for the ball."

**Location Unknown: 17 hours 47 minutes missing**

"Morning sleepyhead," Mary Anne said as she entered the basement hours later. She disregarded that Hotch was sleeping. She grabbed his shoulders and hoisted him into a sitting position on the bed. His head dropped back, but Mary-Anne put her hand behind his head as if he were a newborn.

"You're sick as a puppy," she muttered at the touch of his skin. She put a hand on his cheek and said, "We'll see what we can do about you being sick before the big ball. I'm so happy we found you."

Mary-Anne laid him back onto the bed and straightened out his legs. Hotch twitched and coughed a little, before his head rolled to the side. She pulled the blindfold off and found that it was damp.

"I hope that you weren't crying, Aaron. Your family will visit you soon…we just need to have the ball first. They'll be so proud of you."

A blood thirsty scream echoed from upstairs. Marry Anne laughed it off, saying, "Oh don't you worry about that- it's just Mattie. I do have a question, though. After we changed you, we found a photo in your wallet of a pretty brunette. Who is she?"

After Hotch didn't respond, she repeated, "Who is she?"

She stared at Hotch for a minute before she pulled out a photo from her pocket and barked, "Who is this?"

With Hotch still unconscious, Mary Anne grabbed Hotch's throat and pressed hard on his trachea, instantly waking the agent. Mary Anne shoved the photo in his face and repeated, "Who is she?"

Hotch's eyes darted to the photo before he felt his stomach drop. It was photo of Hotch, Jack, and Prentiss at a Washington Redskins game. It had been for Jack's birthday and surprisingly the boy only wanted to go to a football game with his father and his favorite aunt, Emily Prentiss.

_That's when Prentiss, Jack, and I took the photo with the mascot- how did she get that? _Hotch thought before Mary Anne screamed, "I found this in your wallet- Aaron, who is she?"

_Where did this come from? _"Mmphhh!" He had seconds before Mary Anne angrily ripped the tape off his mouth and continued yelling, "Is she your wife? Girlfriend? We did all this searching for you and you already have someone? Now, we have to get rid of Mattie and I really liked her-"

"Coworker…." Hotch croaked in a raspy, barely audible voice.

"What's her name?" When Hotch didn't respond, Mattie smacked him across the face, "What's. ? Answer me, Aaron!"

"Emily Prentiss!" He gasped out, "Please….don't…hurt her. Please…..let…me go."

Mary Anne's mood instantly changed again, switching from loud and irrational to calm and mothering. She placed a hand on his forehead. "But I can't let you go, Aaron. You're the prince."

_She's delusional and a little bipolar. _"Please….food and water! Please!"

Mary Anne pouted her lip. "I don't want to….but if you tell me where I can find this Emily Prentiss, I'll let you have a sandwich and some water upstairs."

_If Mary Anne contacts the team, they'll have an idea of where I am. _"Ok-I'll tell you."

Mary Anne smiled and whispered, "Ok," before pulling out a small key from her pocket. She unlocked the chain around his ankle and started to undue the zip tie around his wrists and ankles. As soon as he was free, Hotch suddenly wrapped an arm around Mary Anne's neck and pushed her with all his remaining strength into the wall. She collided into the wall head first and slumped into a heap on the ground.

Hotch tried to stand and make a run for it, but once up, he fell to the floor as his legs gave out. Mary Anne tried to grab Hotch by the ankle, but he kicked her in the face and began crawling towards the door. _Use your strength carefully. You can't run for it, but you can at least try to make a phone call….._

He reached the door and closed it on her face, locking Mary Anne in the basement. He found himself on a stairs and started to climb them slowly, half expecting Daniel to jump out and attack him. Once at the top of the stairs, Hotch slowly opened the basement door, which led to an empty large living room with couches, chairs, and a television. On top of the television was a cordless telephone. The injured agent limped over and grabbed it, quickly dialing the first person he could think of.

**Albany Police Station- 18 Hours missing**

"There you go, you look gorgeous," JJ told Prentiss as the brunette stepped in front of the mirror. Her hair was curled, makeup was applied, and she wore heels along with a dress suit. It was pretty outfit to Prentiss, but not practical for their line of work.

"It's really nice-"Her cell phone rang before Prentiss answered it. "Hello?"

"Emily?" Prentiss felt her heart nearly dropped the phone. _Oh My God, it's Hotch! _

"Hotch, are you ok? Where are you?" She put the phone on speaker phone and walked out of the bathroom with JJ.

"I'm in….their house," Hotch was panting with a hoarse voice, "I'm injured-help-please."

"Ok, stay on the line with us!"

"Can't-Daniel…Mary Anne….. here." Prentiss froze when she heard Daniel scream, "Aaron, how did you get out?" before the line when dead.


	6. Chapter 6

**Albany Police Station- 18 Hours Missing**

Prentiss stood still as JJ slowly took the phone from her hand. "It's ok. It's ok- it's probably not as bad as we think it is," JJ lied, "You still want to do this?"

"I have to," Prentiss whispered, regaining her composure, "If they're hurting him, we need to do this now."

Within minutes, Prentiss stood on a platform in front of a crowd of reporters from local and national news stations. Behind her, Reid and Rossi stood close behind her while Morgan and JJ watched the press conference from inside.

"Agent Prentiss , are you ready?" An Albany officer asked. Prentiss brushed a strand of hair from her face and said, "Yes. I'm ready." _Please let this work, _she thought as the officer gave a ready signal to the cameraman.

The red light on the camera blinked twice before Prentiss took a breath and said, "My name is Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss and I am here to send a message to Mary Anne and Daniel Dent. We understand why you are committing these kidnappings, but we are begging you to cease and desist and to turn yourself in to the police and the FBI..."

Behind Prentiss, Reid glanced over to Rossi, who was watching the horde of reporters. "You think this is going to work?" the young agent asked.  
>"I hope so." Rossi paused and heard...<p>

"Within the last forty eight hours, you took Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner and public school teacher Mattie Kleau to complete your dreams. I cannot stress enough how much we understand what you want, but on behalf of Miss Kleau's family and friends, my team, and Agent Hotchner's family, I am begging that you contact the number shown on the screen to let us know that they are safe and sound."

"Reporters are getting angry," Reid commented on the dark expressions on reporter's faces.

"Well, they would be if Prentiss wasn't telling the bad guys that it's alright to kidnap people," Rossi replied.

"I hope this works; it's been 18 hours."

"Slow down, kid. One thing at a time; we'll get Aaron back safe and sound."

Prentiss took a breath and continued, "We are all scared and confused and want nothing but everyone to win in this situation. So I advise you, not I beg of you to call the number on the screen. Again, please call this number that appears on the screen and thank you," Prentiss finished. Before she could finish the last word, the horde of reporters jumped up, spurring out dozens of questions at the same time. Prentiss stepped off the podium and quickly returned to the courthouse.

"How was that?" she asked in a rushed voice.

"Good, you did great, Emily," Rossi answered. He turned to Reid and," Go and get some rest. Both of you."

"What about you?"

"I'll be alright." Rossi noticed that a light rainfall had started in the area. _He's like a son to me...I'll rest when he's home._

**Location Unknown: 19 hours 52 minutes missing**

Hotch listened to the raindrops hit the rooftop while he lay on the kitchen floor next to Mattie.

After attempting to call Prentiss, Hotch had dropped the phone when a convulsion shot through his body. Mary Anne had tazed him, tazed him hard enough for him to be dazed and quickly restrained.

After Mary Anne had tied his wrist together, Daniel had hoisted him over his shoulder and brought him to the kitchen .Hotch winced at the memory of being tossed onto the floor as if he were trash.

"_Manners! You need to learn your manners, Aaron! So does Mattie! "Daniel disappeared from Hotch's sight, leaving him alone with Mary Anne. _

_She growled at him, "I was so nice to you! This is how you repay me?" She fired off the second Taser clip and hit Hotch's leg. Hotch cried out and went into high convulsions again, this time having drool run down his cheek. _

_Daniel reappeared with Mattie and dropped her onto the floor next to Hotch. He stepped onto the kitchen and lit the flame. Within a minute, he took out pliers and turned to Hotch with a devious smile. _

"_I'm going to teach you a lesson that you both will never forget."_

Hotch blinked twice before spitting out blood. In his rage, Daniel had pulled out two molars from each of them.

_If we anger him anymore, he'll escalate and we'll be dead. Please find me guys…please_.

He tried to close his eyes, but suddenly heard a yelp come from the living room where Mary Anne had been cleaning up. She turned up the television where they could hear...

"The hunt for the kidnappers responsible for five kidnappings in the area has nearly surpassed the twenty hour mark. A press conference was released an hour ago from the FBI..."

Then he heard Prentiss' voice...

"You took Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner and public..."

"She's pretty and she knows you, Aaron. Maybe we can use her instead," Mary Anne said as she took a step towards Mattie. Hotch mumbled out the best he could, "No…don't want-"

Daniel, who was sitting on the couch called out, "Babe, let's get her. I like this….. Emily Prentiss." Sporting a malicious smile, Daniel picked up his phone and dialed the Albany police number.

**Albany Police Station- 20 Hours minutes Missing**

"Agent Prentiss?" a young secretary called, sticking her head into the conference room. Prentiss turned around and answered, "That's me? What can I-"

"There's a man on line 1 and he wants to speak to you," the secretary answered, "I think it's one of the Dent's."

Rossi immediately began dialing Garcia on his cell phone; Prentiss gave the woman a weird look before her mind wrapped around that the Dent's had responded that quickly. She placed her hand on the conference room phone and looked to Rossi to see of Garcia was getting a trace. After he gave her a nod, she clicked the speaker phone button and answered calmly, "Hello?"

"Is this Miss Emily Prentiss?" the caller asked. Prentiss sighed and answered, "Yes, this is Agent Prentiss. Who am I speaking with?"

"You know who I am. I'm the one that took Aaron and Mattie."

Prentiss swallowed and said, " I see. If you saw the press conference, that you know that we'd appreciate the release of Aaron and Mattie."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. My wife and I have worked too hard for this."

"There has to be a way of negotiation, Mr. Dent."

"There is- you can be Aaron's princess."

"I can't do that, Mr. Dent."

There was a pause on the line before Daniel spoke again. "Then I can't release Mattie or Aaron. We'd appreciate if you came. I can get rid of Mattie quickly- just like I did the other women."

Prentiss felt her heart drop and replied as calmly as she could, "Please do not kill Mattie, Mr. Dent."

"No, I will not. Emily, I also know that you have my son. A friend of ours saw him leave with an agent at the mall."

_Damn it! _"Please, Mr. Dent."

"No." Prentiss exchanged looks with the rest of the team. _There is a way around. It's dangerous and stupid, but it can bring the both of them home._ "Mr. Dent, how about this? I'll take Mattie's spot and you can let her go."

"No, she'll talk with the police and spoil our plans."

_Go deeper! _"How about….I'll take Mattie's place, you let her go, and….I'll return your son to you. I'll be cooperative in anything you want me to do," Prentiss stated, stepping away from the angry and un-approving looks on her colleagues faces. Morgan touched her shoulder to hint his disapproval, but Prentiss brushed him off.

"….Fine. Downer's Field is where we'll make the exchange in one hour. Be there on time with my son ALONE or I will hand deliver Aaron in body parts regardless if you return my son to me or not. I don't want to be followed either."

The line went dead and Prentiss closed her eyes. _I hope to hell that this works._


	7. Chapter 7

"Why would you put yourself in danger like that?" Morgan exclaimed. Prentiss responded, "We need to get them home and this is the way to do it!"

"By losing you and the suspect in the process? "

Prentiss slipped on her FBI jacket and said, "Yes- I'm trained-"

"So is Hotch!"

"You can track me-"

"Not going to work, Emily. We tried searching for Hotch's phone and that didn't work at all!" Morgan stepped closer to the brunette, eyes blazing with anger. "I can't-I will not let you hand yourself over to save Hotch!"

"Well, you aren't in charge….Dave?" She turned to Rossi, who was staring at the phone, his mind running through scenarios. After a minute passed, he sighed and said, "Here's what we're going to do: Prentiss, you'll make the exchange and go with the Dents. Keeping in mind his threat about not being followed, we'll give him a fifteen minute head start. We know he won't kill you since he hasn't done it to Mattie or Aaron yet. You'll have two concealed GPS- one is only for a backup. As soon as you can, contact us- hopefully we can catch your location this time."

Prentiss nodded and turned back to Morgan. "I'll be ok," she whispered. Deep down, she knew his worry was more in relation to the Doyle incident that occurred nine months before. "I'll bring Hotch home as well."

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" he asled.

"Yeah," she smiled at her statement, "Come on, let's bring my prince home."

**Downer's Field, East Greenbush NY- 21 Hours Missing**

Prentiss stood in a large empty field with Stanley by her side. He was still unaware of the kidnapping case, but was happy to go home. Prentiss, however, was nervous. If they were able to take down one of the most skilled agent in the Bureau, she might not stand a chance.

_Don't think like that! _Prentiss placed her hands inside of her pocket and shivered at the cold November air. Beside her, Stanley's head continuously whipped around as he searched for any signs of his parents.

"Are your friends here?" Stanley suddenly asked Prentiss. She shivered once more and answered, "No, they are following all the rules that your father set." It was actually a lie; twelve trained police officers were hiding in nearby bushes, keeping watch for the Dents. Five minutes from the field, JJ, Rossi, Reid, and Morgan sat in a SUV geared up as they listened into a microphone attached to Prentiss' jacket. As soon as the fifteen minute deadline ended, every law enforcement official within twenty miles would move in to rescue Hotch and Prentiss.

If their plan worked.

Stanley smiled. "That's good. I like when people follow the rules. Rules are good. You know, Emily, if you don't follow the rules, my dad will hurt you."

"Don't worry, I'll behave." _Hotch didn't listen and now he's possibly dying…._

"Good. Oh, look! There's our SUV!" A red SUV slowly pulled out into the field and moved towards them. Prentiss felt her jaw tightened when Daniel Dent stepped out of the driver's seat. He was much more physically defined than she had thought he would be.

Stanley ran into his father's arms and exclaimed, "I missed you! Oh, look it's Mattie!"

Mattie Kleau was suddenly pulled by Daniel out of the back seat and thrown onto the ground. He pulled her a few feet away from the SUV before turning towards Prentiss. "Aaron had so many little tinkerts on him. I need to check to see if you have any on you."

"Of course." Prentiss extended her arms wide as Daniel searched her, thankfully only catching one GPS and the microphone. She kept her composure when Daniel took her gun, badge, and handcuffs. He then grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, handcuffing her arms behind her back. In the meanwhile, Mattie moaned as she laid barely clothed on the damp ground.

"Alright, let's go." Daniel and Stanley walked her into the back seat, Daniel suspiciously looking around for any signs of the police. After Stanley crawled into the back seat with Prentiss, Daniel jumped in and drove to the end of the field.

"I need to check you," Stanley suddenly stated. Prentiss narrowed her eyes and responded, "I'm not sure I understand."

"I have to check your body."

_Oh, this is bad. _"Mr. Dent, Stanley just-"

"I know," Daniel answered in a relaxed voice, "Let him check you."

"I can't do that, Mr. Dent." Stanley scooted over to Prentiss, his eyes filled with excitement.

"Well then, Emily, you broke your promise. You said that you'd be compliant," Daniel stated, "Since I like you, I'm just going to let that one slide. You'll still need to be punished. Son, there's a Taser under the seat."

"Ok, Dad." Stanley pulled the same Taser that had been used on Hotch. He pointed it at Prentiss and said, "Sorry."

"But-"was all Prentiss could get out before Stanley pushed the trigger.

**¼ mile from Downer's Field-21 Hours 17 minutes Missing**

"Baby girl, you still have a trace on Prentiss?" Morgan asked as he sat in front of the SUV with Rossi, Garcia was communicating with the team via phone.

"Yes, I do. Be mindful, sugar, my program's running a few seconds behind so we may be a little off. Oof!"

"Penelope, where are you?"

There was a pause before Garcia said, "I'm…on a plane to Albany. I'm not going to sit in my office and twiddle my finger with Hotch missing for twenty hours and Prentiss running into the depths of the abyss known as the Dents!"

Rossi frowned. "Garcia-"

"No worries, sir. I spoke with Strauss and she put me first class with all my technological babies on board. I will not sit this one-whoa. What the- guys, we have a problem!"

"What is it?" JJ asked.

"I really don't know. I-I –according to my graph, the GPS we used for Emily that hadn't been found by Daniel in no longer in function! It just went poof off my screen! There's no power on it which means the Dent's found the second one….or it short circuited."

"Damn it!" Morgan cursed under his breath. "We lost her."

**Location Unknown: 22 Hours missing**

Prentiss scooted out of the SUV once it came to a complete stop in front of a large cabin. Hidden in what appeared to be a forest preserve, the large cabin stood alone on a large hill. She didn't recognize the area; after she was tased and…"inspected", she had blacked out for the remainder of the trip.

_I know you want to cry right now, but you can't. Find Aaron first! _ She felt herself pushed forward by Daniel, causing her to stumble. Daniel chuckled and pulled her back onto her feet, soon forcing her into the cabin.

"Aaron!" Prentiss suddenly exclaimed when she saw Hotch lying on the kitchen floor. He was in much worse condition than she had initially expected; he was pale, bleeding, and shivering.

Prentiss took a step forward and asked, 'May I…..get closer to him? See that he's alright?"

"No, you can't. Upstairs, you," Daniel ordered. Prentiss hesitated before dashing forward towards Hotch. She only made it halfway; in one swift move, Daniel pulled her back and slammed her into the brick fireplace headfirst. She landed, having only a second to exchange a tearful look with Hotch, before everything went dark.


	8. Chapter 8

**Downer's Field- 24 Hours Missing**

"Mattie made it to the hospital and she's stable," JJ told Rossi as they stood on the field. In front of them, crime scene techs were examining every inch of the field, hoping for any trace of evidence. Rossi wasn't interested in finding any more evidence of the Dent's kidnappings, all he wanted was to find their location and bring Hotch and Prentiss home.

"Is she able to talk to anyone yet?" he asked.

JJ sighed. "Yes and no. She' s able to say a few words here and there to her boyfriend, but she kept breaking out into tears every time we mentioned Hotch. Garcia landed about ten minutes ago and now she's on her way to the hospital to see if Mattie will talk to her."

"Good, that's…good. Where are Reid and Morgan?"

JJ pointed towards the road that led to the nearby highway. "They are going to every store and business along that road. Garcia tracked the Dent's vehicle for eight miles down that road until the GPS fried. If the Dents are going somewhere that they may own or have gone to before, there may be a person that could recognize them and help us out."

A mile down the road, Reid stepped into a small convenience store and looked to the register. A petite redhead, no older than thirty sat at the register with her focus on the red roses stocked on the counter. Reid walked over to her and said, "Hi, my name is Dr. Spencer Reid and I'm with the FBI," he placed down photos of Mary Anne or Daniel, "Have you seen any of these people?"

"Why?" the woman asked nonchalantly.

"They are involved in the recent kidnappings in the area. Have you seen them before?" The woman leaned over and peered at the photos. "The man, no….but the woman, Mary Anne, comes here, especially in the summer. She's always so interested in our flower selection."

"Isn't it a bit on unusual for a convenient store to sell flowers?"

"Yes, but that's what makes us special. So, yeah, the woman comes in here in the summer and always talks about some cabin that her family stays at. You know what's funny?"

Reid tried his hardest to look curious. "What?"

"She says she's from Albany, so why would you have two houses so close to each other? I don't know if it's just me, but that seems wasteful-"

"Thank you, ma am," Reid exclaimed as he cut her off, "You've been a great help." _You may have just handed us the big break we needed._

**Location Unknown: 24 Hours 51 Minutes missing**

_What the hell happened? _Prentiss thought as she slowly regained consciousness. She tried to lift her head up, but the throbbing pain prevented her from doing so. Her wrists were chained to the bedposts on the bed. The FBI jacket that she had been wearing was gone; now she only wore her dress shirt and pants.

"Hello?" She called out in the dark room. It was a bedroom with only a window, dresser, and bed. The most striking thing to Prentiss was that the window had been tapped off. _They're intelligent-they don't want me to see where I am._

"Hello?" Prentiss repeated again. Her call was answered when the door slowly creaked open, revealing Stanley who answered, "Hi."

"Stanley! Hey, what-what happened to me?"

"You didn't listen so Daddy punished you." He walked over to her side and sat down on the bed. "You've been sleeping ever since."

"Is Ho-Aaron ok? He seemed really hurt when I saw him," Prentiss said. _He looked like he was dying._

"Yeah, he keeps getting worse and worse. I don't know what it is."

"It's because he's hurt and needs to see a doctor. Have you allowed him to eat or drink?"

"No, I don't know why," Stanley suddenly kissed her on the cheek, "I did that because I think that's what a prince should do."

_Let it go. Focus on Hotch. _"I-I appreciate that, Stanley," Prentiss stammered, "but I think that if you maybe gave Aaron something to eat or drink, we'll have a much better ball. If he keeps going like this, he'll die soon and I know that'll make you sad. How about I go with you to make sure that he's ok?"

"I can't do that. Momma and Daddy will get mad at me."

"Why don't you bring him up here?...Princes and princesses usually sleep in the same area," Prentiss suggested. Her heart jumped at Stanley's sudden smile. He jumped up and took off into the hallway.

Downstairs, Hotch was still lying on the kitchen floor, hovering in and out of consciousness. His body was beginning to fail him; his vision was blurry, his breathing was getting shorter and shorter, and his wounds were starting to get a hold of him.

_Prentiss._

He had prayed every minute of his time in captivity that she was safe. When he saw her walk through that door, his hope was shattered. However, something about this was different. When Morgan and Reid had been injured in the line of duty, he had been worried, as a friend should. When Prentiss had been beaten and held hostage in Colorado, Hotch's world had fallen apart.

_I need her safe. I need to get her out of her. If she dies, I don't know what I'd do. _ Hotch rolled over onto his stomach, finding himself facing the stairs. With all the strength he could muster, he pulled himself onto his knees and soon onto his feet. His legs felt like jelly; it took every ounce of energy to not collapse to his knees.

"Pre-Pre-Emily," he gasped as took two weak steps towards the stairs. He barely made it through his second step before he found himself face to face with Stanley.

"Please…no more," the agent cried out before falling onto his knees again. Stanley stated, "I'm not going to do anything bad, Aaron. I'm taking you to see the princess."

"O-Ok," Hotch whispered. Stanley took an arm around Hotch's waist and helped the agent up the stairs. They eventually made it to the room where Prentiss was. "I'll go get some food and water like you asked, Princess," Stanley said as he helped Hotch sit on the floor near the bed, "Don't worry."

Hotch and Prentiss exchanged nervous looks; until they were both rescued, they had no choice but to worry.


	9. Chapter 9

**Location Unknown: 25 Hours Missing**

"How did they get you?" Hotch asked five minutes after Stanley had left. They had sat in silence with neither sure of what to say. Prentiss scooted towards the head of the bed to get a better view of Hotch. "They didn't. I voluntarily took Mattie's place."

"What? Why would you-why would you do that?"

"We needed to get in contact with the Dents somehow so I did a press conference-" Prentiss quieted when Stanley reentered the room with crackers, two water bottles, and a blanket. He looked down at Hotch, who was breathing heavily as he sat huddled by the window. "I brought the stuff that you wanted, Princess."

"Thank you, Stanley," Prentiss replied, "I do have one more favor to ask you." Her focus immediately went over to Hotch, "Can you help Aaron into the bed? If the basement was cold like you told my friend, David Rossi, than Aaron must be really cold. You can chain us together while we warm up and eat; you can lock the door so we can't get out."

Stanley paused to think before saying, "Ok. I want Aaron to get better and if it helps, I'll do it." He walked over to Hotch and lifted the sick agent onto the bed. Stanley turned his left side to Prentiss, revealing a gun attached at his waist. "I trust you, but I have to make sure that you won't do anything bad, Emily."

"I understand," Prentiss answered as Stanley undid the chains that restrained her to the bed. She gave him a smile before Stanley left the room. Once the door closed and the door knob was locked, Hotch went into a panic attack.

"You're helping him! We-we can't just sit here! We have to go-I have to get you out-"

"Aaron! Calm down!" Prentiss placed a hand on his cheek and stared deeply into his eyes. "We will get out of this- you hear me? We will get home!" Hotch could barely control his breathing and sobs, which prompted Prentiss to say, "Focus! Look at me!" Hotch instantly quieted, but still continued to tremble.

"Close your eyes and breathe," Prentiss whispered. She squeezed Hotch's hands as he struggled to get out relaxed breaths. "You can't freak out on me, Aaron. You can't- just relax and listen to my voice. " She felt his hands slow their shaking along with his breathing beginning to settle. Prentiss took a deep breath along with him and added, "If you just relax while we lay here, your body won't hurt as much."

"Why are you helping him?"

"I can't take on the three of them by myself. Plus, my top priority is your health, even if that means I have to play princess for a while. Do you feel better?"

He opened his eyes and nodded in agreement. "I feel a little better. Thanks, Emily."

"No problem, no problem." Prentiss took note of how cold he felt, his fingertips feeling like ice against her palms. She pulled herself closer to him under the small blanket until their bodies touched. If it wasn't for the captivity, Prentiss felt as if she could kiss him in that moment.

Hotch, on the other hand, was beginning to feel warm and fuzzy. He was confused on whether it was being comforted or being so close to Prentiss….

Either way, it quickly lured him to sleep.

**Albany Southern General- 26 Hours Missing**

"How is she doing, doc?" Rossi asked the physician in charge of Mattie. Along with a quiet Garcia, they stood in the intensive care unit hallway, both near Mattie's room. From Rossi's view, Mattie was now more relaxed and alert than what she had been when they had found her.

"Miss Kleau is stable and doing much better than when she was admitted. However, she needs rest ," the physician said.

"May we speak with her?"

"She'll be receiving a sedative within a few minutes. You can try to see what you can get in that time."

"Thank you." Rossi and Garcia stepped into Mattie's room where the woman was lying on her back with her head turned to the side. Rossi beckoned Garcia to the edge of the bed. "Miss Kleau, I'm Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi and this is Penelope Garcia, our technical analyst. We're here to speak with you, alright?"

"Alright," Mattie answered, "What do you need to know? I mean, aren't you guys chasing after the vehicle that _animal_ used to drop me off like trash?"

Garcia exchanged looks with Rossi. "We tried, but the GPS we had on the agent that took your place…stopped working. We'd like to ask you a few things about the Dents and the man with you-"

"You have to help him! I mean look at me- I was there for less time and the doctors say that I barely made it!"

"Don't worry," Garcia squeezed her hand, "We will get him home." A nurse walked entered the room behind Garcia and told Mattie, "I'm going to give you some medicine so that you can sleep," as she inserted medicine through the IV.

As the drugs slowly began to take hold, Mattie's hand dropped from the bed rail. She turned her head to Garcia and whispered, "I just….remembered something."

"What?"

"The stubby one-I think he was their son…..said that his parents had to go to Wayne's hardware at one point….hope it helps." Her head dropped to the right as Mattie drifted off to sleep.

"That sounds familiar…." Garcia suddenly whispered. She pulled out her laptop and pulled up the file on the case. "Wayne's Hardware store," Garcia then opened a file on Stanley Dent, "is where Stanley works part time. It's near a group of houses off the road that we lost the GPS tracking on!"

"Garcia, pull up a-"

"Map? Way ahead of you, sir," the TA clicked on a map of the city area. The store was located on the western side of Albany, seven miles from the Dents household. According to the satellite map that Garcia had pulled up, the hardware store was located near a community of homes that sat at the edge of Bounty Hills Forest. "Sir, if they had to stop at a hardware store for God knows what, maybe they are hiding Hotch and Prentiss in one of those homes…..those twenty….seven homes. Oh God."

"That's still good, Penelope. I'll call Morgan." Rossi pulled out his cellphone and stepped out of Mattie's room. Before he dialed Morgan's number, he took a minute to breathe. Mattie was right, if Hotch stayed with the Dents much longer, he would probably die soon. He knew the odds of surviving this long during a random kidnapping, but deep down hoped that Hotch's resilience and stubbornness would buy them some time.

The thought, _Don't waste any time on worrying, _suddenly appeared his head, snapping the agent back to reality. He speed dialed Morgan and soon heard him answer amongst the sound of blowing wind.

"You got anything, Dave?" Morgan answered. Rossi could only assume that he was driving somewhere.

"Yeah, Mattie mentioned a certain hardware store that Stanley works at. It's near a community that we think the Dents may be holding Hotch and Prentiss."

"Why the hell did we not catch this sooner?"

"Albany police had thought ahead on that after Reid had found Stanley. There have been two officers watching the store for any sign of his parents. That struck out until Mattie mentioned the store- I think they may have stopped by there before we had caught Stanley. We need to check this community out immediately- gather Reid and JJ at meet me at the hardware store. From there, we'll take officers with us and search every house in that community- Garcia said that there are twenty seven-"

"Twenty seven houses? That'll take too long!" Morgan exclaimed through the phone. Rossi sighed in annoyance. "We don't have much of a choice-"

"For us to go in without the Dents being tipped off of our presence, is A. damn near impossible and b. will take an hour at the minimum."

"Derek, we don't have a choice! Go gather the others and meet me there ASAP." He winced at the sight of the clock, now approaching 7:00. _Hotch and Prentiss need rescue quick, but if we have to battle it out with the Dents in the dark, we're in trouble._

**Location Unknown: 26 Hours 45 Minutes missing**

For the first time in weeks, Aaron Hotchner felt at peace.

He had fallen asleep in the middle of his conversation with Prentiss and dreamt of his son and a warm beach. Prentiss had kept watch on him the entire time, trying to keep him warm and safe. She had soon began to feel tired herself, especially after the realization that she had been with the Dents for five hours now and Hotch was pushing twenty seven hours. His strength was one of the most admirable things that she saw in him, one of the many things that made her love him.

Prentiss reached her hand out to touch his cheek again, but was stopped when the door flew open, revealing a frantic Stanley. He walked into the room and exclaimed, "I'm in so much trouble!"

"Stanley, Stanley, calm down!" Prentiss called out to him. She sat up quickly which woke Hotch up. He yawned and muttered, "Huh?" as Stanley started nervously pacing back and forth across the room.

"Stanley, what did you do?" Prentiss repeated.

"I told Momma and Daddy about the food , the water and that you guys are in the same room! Daddy's real mad now!" Stanley stopped in front of the bed and added, "I don't think he wants to do the ball anymore. I mean, he and Momma went out to the store to get something for the ball, but since the police are out looking and with what I did what I did, he doesn't want to do the ball anymore."

_That's good-I think. Maybe he'll let us go, _Prentiss thought. "Stanley, do you think your parents will let us go?"

"No, he didn't let the others go when he decided that he didn't want to use them."

"Then what do you think he'll do when he gets back here?" Both agents prayed for a good answer, even though deep down they already knew what the answer was.

"I think he's going to come and kill you guys."


	10. Chapter 10

**Bounty Hills Housing Community: 27 hours 16 minutes missing**

Rossi stepped out of the SUV, strapping on his Kevlar vest as he went. The SUV was parked at the housing community's entrance, hidden in the bushes. Behind him stood Reid, the youngest member scanning the neighborhood for anything suspicious.

"Garcia said that she did background checks on these houses," Reid said, pointing to a block on a map, "Nothing came anywhere near the Dent's so for now, we can't eliminate anyone." Rossi nodded and checked his pistol clip. "Where are JJ and Morgan?" he asked.

Reid pointed to a block in the northern part of the community. "They have fifteen officers with them and they are going to work top to bottom, leaving us going west to east. Think that this is going to work?"

"No more questions about that, kid," Rossi pointed to a blue ranch home near the community entrance, "Let's get to work and bring our people home."

Six blocks north, JJ stepped off the sidewalk and onto the road. She had just rung the doorbell for a home to a mother with five kids. The mother had instantly freaked out at the sight of JJ's vest; the agent had to waste five minutes calming the woman down. Morgan wasn't having any luck either; both houses that he had rung ended up having hostile neighbors, annoyed with "police presence."

"Bastard," JJ suddenly heard from behind her. It was an irritable Morgan, who stepped right in line with her. "They don't even care that two federal agents are missing."

He dropped his head in annoyance before hearing his cell phone ring. It was Garcia, whose voice was filled with worry. "Derek, my darling knight, the Dent's car just showed up on a traffic camera at the intersection a block away from the housing community. I followed them three blocks west where they took a back entrance into the community- an entrance that's not on a map. Based on what I'm seeing, community residents take this entrance all the time. It's like a super-secret entrance-"

"Baby Girl!"

"Oh- Derek, I think that they know that you guys are there!"

"You're kidding! Find them, Penelope!" Morgan exclaimed. JJ gave him a confused look at his outburst. He turned to her and said, "The Dent's are here and they might know about us!"

"Derek, I'm searching as fast as I can through satellite," Garcia said through the phone. Morgan turned his attention back to Garcia and put the phone on speaker. Both agents could hear Garcia muttering, "Come on…come on…..Oh, , I got them at 2718 Hallen Lane- Derek; they are pulling into the driveway! It's four blocks south of your position- go!"

"Tell Ros-"

"I'm dialing them as we speak. Just go and bring Hotch and Emily home!"

**27 Hours 37 Minutes Missing**

"Are you serious?" Prentiss exclaimed. Stanley numbly nodded, " I like you guys. I don't want Daddy to kill you two-"

"Stanley, you have to help us! You can't let him hurt us, ok?" Prentiss said to Stanley. The man slowly nodded before saying, "I can try 'cause….. I don't want you guys to die even though I was mean to you both." He took note of Hotch's current state, "I can talk to them-"

"Stanley, we're profilers!" Prentiss exclaimed, "Our job in the FBI is to look at people's behavior and we know that if your dad is as upset as you say he is, he will not listen to anyone right now! You-you need to let us go!"

"Let you go? I don't want you guys to leave though…."

"Stanley, I promise you that if you help us get out of her, we will come and visit you as much as we can!" Prentiss lied. She held out her hand and pleaded, "Please, Stanley, please!"

"Promise?"

"Yes, Stanley. We promise!"

Stanley hesitated before nodding, "Ok, I'll help you!" He took a step towards them before they heard a door open and slam close. Stanley's eyes widened and he whispered, "Momma and Daddy are here."

"Let's go then," Prentiss responded. She slid off the bed and wrapped an arm around Hotch's waist. "Is there an attic or a room that we can hide in?" Prentiss could feel her nerves rising as the steps downstairs came closer to the stairwell. Stanley looked into the hallway and said, "You can go into the attic at the end of the hallway."

"We will. Please try to stop your parents from coming up here, ok?" Stanley nodded in response and bolted towards the stairs. Prentiss turned to Hotch and asked, "Think you can walk?"

"I'll...try," the Unit Chief gasped. He slowly pushed himself upwards until he was standing shakily on his feet. Prentiss put Hotch's arm around her neck and started walking with him towards the door. He grunted and winced with every step they took, worrying Prentiss. They needed to get rescued….very soon.

Once in the hallway, both agents slowed their pace as they heard arguing from downstairs. Daniel was yelling at his son in what Prentiss assumed was the kitchen. After they made it to the attic door, Prentiss opened the door, helped Hotch onto the attic stairs and glanced back to make sure that the hallway was clear.

At that moment, Prentiss heard Daniel's voice carry up the stairs, him soon appearing in the hallway. They exchanged looks before Daniel ran towards Prentiss, a knife in hand. Prentiss gave Hotch a push up the stairs before slamming the attic door shut and locking the door. Daniel rammed his body into the other side of the door as the agents skirted up the attic stairs. Daniel rammed against the attic door again, this time pushing the door off its hinges. He could see the agents moving towards the attic window.

"Come back here!" he yelled, sprinting up the stairs. Hotch was now on his knees under the window. Prentiss stood in front of him in a fighting stance. Daniel smirked and lunged forward, his knife narrowly missing her waist. She tried to grab his arm, but failed when he jumped to side and sliced her arm. Prentiss fell back next to Hotch with her hand on her wound. Daniel raised his knife to stab him both before he heard,

"FBI! Freeze!"

Morgan was standing at the attic door with his gun aimed at Daniel. He yelled, "Put the weapon down and put your hands behind your back!" Behind him, Reid stepped past Morgan with his gun also aimed on Daniel. "Mr. Dent, we have your wife and son! Don't make this hard- put the weapon down!"

"You aren't about to ruin this for me!" Daniel yelled. Before he could decide what to do, his arm involuntary flinched. Morgan took it as a sign of aggression and fired a shot into the man's arm and leg. Daniel fell to the ground next to Prentiss and Hotch as Reid ran to Daniel's side, handcuffs in hand.

Morgan ran to Prentiss and asked, "Are you ok?" The brunette nodded in response and looked over to see Hotch slipping in and out of consciousness. She lifted him into her arms and whispered, "We're ok. We're going home, Aaron. We're going home."


	11. Chapter 11

Prentiss stepped outside of the house and shivered at the cold breeze. It was dark and windy outside, no doubt mirroring how she felt. Behind her, Hotch was wheeled out on a stretcher, being comforted by Morgan and Rossi. She should have been by his side, but Rossi's insistence of her being checked by paramedics won. Now bandaged up, Prentiss stood outside in the quiet neighborhood in nothing but a dress.

She took a step to join her injured teammate in the ambulance, but saw that it was full and ready to go. As it slowly pulled away, JJ and Reid came up to Prentiss from behind, JJ saying, " We can take one of the SUVs and meet them at the hospital, Emily."

Prentiss numbly nodded and said, "I need to tell him how I feel." Reid draped his jacket on Prentiss' shoulders and asked, "Tell who what?"

"He'll die…" Prentiss stammered, "I can't have him dying…." JJ took Prentiss' hand and called out, "Emily? Look at me." When the agent finally did, JJ said, "Hotch is strong- he's…he's still alive and that's all that matters right now. Let's go so you can tell him and get your fairy tell ending."

Reid, still confused, asked, "JJ, what does Emily need to tell Hotch?" Prentiss stepped away from the pair and slowly walked towards the SUV. She could hear JJ say, "You don't know?"

"Of course not, what's going on?"

"Emily is in love with Hotch." Prentiss stopped in her tracks, feeling happy over JJ's comment. She was so in love with him that she wanted to scream it to the heavens.

"Really?" Reid asked, taken aback, "Since when? How did I miss this?"

Over by the SUVs, Prentiss chuckled to herself. _Oh, Reid. _

**Greenbaugh Medical Center- Albany, NY-2 Hours later**

"Family of Aaron Hotchner?"

Prentiss looked from her shoes to see a doctor standing near the emergency room entrance. The man seemed impassive, confusing the five agents and technical analyst on the tone of the news he was about to deliver.

"That's us," Rossi called out. He reached out a hand to the physician, who quickly shook it. Rossi than placed his hands on his hip and asked, "Just give it to us straight, doc."

"Well, Agent Hotchner is alive. His injuries are extensive- the worst is his ankle. It appears to be shattered- broken bones, tendons, ect. He'll be taken into surgery to fix his ankle along with his lungs, which are causing his irregular breathing. Agent Hotchner also has multiple lacerations, second degree burns all over his body, and also appears to be dehydrated and hungry. That-"

"You need to run an sexual assault evidence collection kit on him," Reid said," The number of sexual assault cases of male victims reported-"

"Kid," Morgan said softly, instantly silencing Reid. The doctor continued, "Don't worry, a kit was done and sent over to Albany police."

At that moment, Prentiss' mind traveled back to when Stanley had tased her on the way to the house, causing her to pass out. _Was I raped then?_

JJ gave her a nudge to focus on the doctor. The man said, "Thank you for the concerns regarding the SAE kit. However, that isn't my biggest concern. Your teammate is conscious, but stone silent. During our first examination, he was extremely tense and quiet. Is that normal for him?"

"Not at this degree," Rossi answered.

"I see. Well, we can discuss options regarding his mental state after the surgery. Agent Hotchner will be taken up to surgery in twenty minutes. Do any of you want to see him?"

Everyone's eyes immediately fell on Prentiss. She nodded slowly before saying, "I need to discuss something in private with you after I see him, doctor, and I need Agent Jareau with me while I do it." The physician nodded before responding, "Fine."

Prentiss slowly rose to her feet before a wave of exhaustion hit her. She had been up for almost a day now; from working at the police station to being rescued by Morgan. The agent felt a wave of self-pity before she remembered Hotch. The poor man was dehydrated, severely injured, and sleep deprived.

The agent followed the physician into the Emergency Room with JJ. JJ was confused on her need to be there, but a part of her suspected that she was brought in for support. When the physician and the agents arrived at the door to Hotch's room, the physician motioned inside and said, "Be gentle with him."

They found Hotch lying on a hospital bed, slipping in and out of consciousness. JJ put a hand to her mouth in shock at the Unit Chief's appearance; as his eyes drooped close every few minutes, Hotch would let out a wheeze even as he was intubated. Prentiss approached Hotch's side and saw his tear strained cheeks. She placed a hand on Hotch's cheek and whispered, "You're ok, Aaron. I'm so proud of you- we all are. You're so brave, Aaron…..It's one of the many things that I love about you."

Prentiss bent down and kissed his forehead. "I love you, Aaron, and ….you can't die on me, ok?" She sadly nodded at Hotch's confused expression seconds before he drifted back to sleep. The physician, who had been standing by the door, called out, "Agent Prentiss? They're going to take him up now."

Prentiss nodded and stepped out of the room with a silent JJ. The physician asked, "What exactly did you want to ask me, Agent?"

"I need you to do a SAE kit on me," Prentiss said in a calm voice. Inside, she was battling every nerve in her body that was telling her to cry. Next to her, JJ touched Prentiss' arm. "Emily…..did they get to you?"

"I think when the Dents were driving me to their home, Stanley raped me. I was actually passed out in the back, but when Reid mentioned the kit for Hotch, I just….you know."

"Of course," JJ answered. The physician pointed towards the a room down the hallway. "Why don't you head over to room 6 and I'll alert a nurse that you two are coming."

"Thank you, doctor." JJ and Prentiss started walking towards the room, JJ watching her friend the entire time. After a minute of silence, JJ said, "So you really love him."

"I do," Prentiss answered.

"I kind of had a feeling," JJ joked. She turned around to see Prentiss suddenly stop in her tracks and drop her head. Prentiss then started to cry again, exclaiming, God, I'm so emotional!"

"Emily, you've been through a lot lately. It's alright-"

"I know that-it's just…I'm so scared! I'm scared for Hotch's health, I'm scared for the results of this SAE test and I'm scared that he's going to be so screwed up after this that he won't be able to love me back!"


	12. Chapter 12

"Don't say that!" JJ exclaimed. She pulled her friend over to the side, "You don't know that. Hotch will bounce back and be his old self in no time."

"Jay, these people were demonic- I shutter to think what they could have done to Hotch for twenty eight hours!"

"Emily, stop it. Hotch is one of the strongest people that you and I know. You'll get the fairy tale wedding the Dents wanted for you two without the torture and kidnapping." The last part of her comment made Prentiss let out a sad chuckle. She took a moment to regain her composure before saying, "You're right…hell, I don't even know if Aaron has feelings for me!"

"He does. I just know it." JJ gave Prentiss a tug towards the patient room the doctor had directed them to. Prentiss followed her and asked, "How exactly do you know, Miss Jareau?"

JJ playfully brushed her hair from her shoulders with a fake know it all expression. "Like I said earlier, a girl just knows. "

**7 hours later**

"FBI?"

Morgan glanced up from his magazine to see a nurse in yellow scrubs standing by the emergency room waiting room entrance. Next to him, Garcia was asleep with her head on his shoulder, finally catching up on some well needed rest. The rest of the team had gone their separate ways; JJ had left to grab some food, Reid had returned to the hotel to get some rest, and Prentiss and Rossi were both at the police station where Prentiss was giving her statement on the case. The results of both rape kits would take a day to process.

"I'm here on behalf on the FBI," Morgan said, raising his hand. He quickly stood up, causing Garcia to hit her head on the chair bar. "Der-bear, you have to warn a girl," she muttered, rubbing her skull. Morgan only smirked in response and walked over to the nurse.

"Agent Hotchner is out of surgery. The surgeon and doctor are dealing with a three car pileup so I'm here on their behalf," the nurse stated, "Anyway, he should recover fully- the doctors are now worried about his mental health."

"Can I-" Garcia coughed to remind Morgan of her presence, "Can we see him?"

"Of course- the anesthesia is going to take a few hours to wear off for him to wake up. I can take you back now if you'd like."

"I actually have to make a phone call first," Morgan stated. He turned his back and dialed Rossi's number. After two rings, Rossi picked up.

"Rossi, Hotch is going to be ok," Morgan said. On the other end, Rossi let out a big sigh of relief. " Is he up?" Rossi asked.

"No, but he should be up within a few hours, depending on the anesthesia. How's it going at the station?"

"Not bad- Emily's changing right now. We just finished her statement and saw the Dents off to processing. I'm glad this case is finally over."

"Me too."

"Yeah…..We'll be there in about twenty minutes, alright?"

"Alright, see you soon. Bye." Morgan hung up and turned around to Garcia staring off into space with a smile on her face. "They're going to have beautiful babies….."

"Who?"

"Hotch and Emily, of course," Garcia said. She picked her purse and jacket, "I can just see it now- two boys and a girl-"

"They have to get together first," Morgan reminded her.

"Oh yes, of course. I give Hotch two days-no wait, this may have been rougher than the Reaper- three days to get himself back to 'oh captain, my captain' mood and then he and Emily will finally break and have some dirty office-"

"Penelope!" Morgan exclaimed. He put up a hand in front of the TA, "Don't even go there!"

"Ah, you're just jealous 'cause we haven't gone down that road yet, mon aime," Garcia joked, following the nurse towards Hotch's room. Morgan paused before following them, realizing that although Garcia was a little…..inappropriate of her comment, she was right about Hotch and Prentiss…

A few hours later, Prentiss stepped into Hotch's room, alone. JJ and Reid had come by and left after Hotch had finally woken from the anesthesia. Morgan and a very excited Garcia volunteered to leave once Prentiss had come to give her some time alone with Hotch. Rossi had also volunteered to take off, leaving an officer standing by the door to allow both agents a feeling of safety. She was incredibly thankful to all of them; not just for rescuing her, but for understanding her feelings for Hotch.

"Hey, it's me again," Prentiss whispered. She sat down in the chair next to Hotch's bed. He was lying on his back with an oxygen mask for his face. His severely injured ankle was now in a dark blue cast, elevated inches above the bed. To Prentiss, Hotch was still a little drowsy from the anesthesia and not one hundred percent sure of what had or was presently going on.

"I know you're freaking out about what had happened with the Dents, but remember- we're here for you, Aaron. I know I am; I mean- it sucks when you're the victim, right?"

Hotch slipped off the mask and gave Prentiss a quizzical look. "Dents?"

"You don't remember?"

He paused to rack his brain before letting out a, "Oh, yeah. I do now….and to answer your question-Yes, it does suck."

Prentiss smiled and laughed, "Yeah….hey, I'm glad that you're talking! We were a little worried and…. I missed your voice." She placed a hand on Hotch's hand.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" Hotch asked before slipping the mask back on. Prentiss felt her heart drop at the realization that he was struggling to stay awake and hold the conversation. Most people would ask for a moment of peace, but Hotch was hanging on just to speak to her.

Prentiss took a breath and said, "I've had feeling for you for a long time, now that I think about. I think I had just denied it or tried fighting against it, but I don't want to do that anymore, Aaron. I love you and I hope that one day you can push pass this and love me back." _If you have feelings for me._

Hotch slipped off the oxygen mask again, slowly turning his head away from Prentiss. He whispered, "Emily…."

"You don't have to answer me right now," Prentiss scooted her chair closer to the bed, "I'm just going to sit here, ok?"

"Emily…..I-when they had taken you upstairs," Hotch said. His eyes started to flutter when sleep started to catch up to him again. "I thought…..my world was falling apart. I never wanted you to get in this or any type of trouble. Even with the incident in Colorado from a few years ago- what I'm trying….to..say," Hotch started to trail off, " is that I…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Hotch drifted off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

_Daniel reappeared with Mattie and dropped her onto the floor next to Hotch. He stepped into the kitchen and lit a flame. Within a minute, he took out pliers and turned to Hotch with a devious smile. _

"_I'm going to teach you a lesson that you won't forget."_

Hotch let out a "No!" as he woke with a start from his nightmare. He nervously looked around to see that the room was dark. Prentiss was close by, nodding off in a chair next to his bed. She didn't wake at Hotch's cry, prompting him to pull off his oxygen mask and call out, "Emily?"

"Huh?" she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Hey, you ok?"

"What happened?"

"You fell asleep while we were talking." Prentiss took his hand and gave him a worried look. "Do you want me to call a nurse?"

"No, No- I'm ok. I just-" he looked around, "Where is everyone?" It was unusual to Hotch that they were alone again.

"Everyone is sleeping in the waiting room except for Rossi- I don't know where he went." Prentiss stretched out her legs and let out a yawn. According to the clock on the wall, Prentiss could make out that it was 6:45 in the morning.

"Ok…..the last thing I remember was us talking about…." Hotch trailed off, the memory of him falling asleep mid conversation making him feel guilty.

"We were talking about…don't worry about it, Aaron." To Prentiss, Hotch didn't look much better than the day before- Hotch was still wheezing and still looked very pale. She didn't want him to spend his time worrying about their relationship- if there could ever be one.

Hotch opened his mouth to protest, but Prentiss placed the oxygen mask back over his face. "Rest," she told him softly along with a kiss on the cheek. Prentiss then turned around to see Rossi standing at the door. "Am I interrupting anything?" Rossi asked.

"No, come in," Prentiss beckoned him in. Rossi stepped in quietly, sparking suspicion in both agents.

"How are you feeling?" The eldest agent asked, his eyes flickering between the folder in his hands and Hotch and Prentiss. Prentiss released Hotch's hand the moment she picked up on Rossi's odd behavior. "Rossi, what is it?"

Rossi placed a file on the table. "The SAE tests came back for the both of you." Hotch nervously looked away from him; he didn't know that any test had been done on him. Personally, he didn't want anyone to know about the rape.

After a few seconds, Hotch's mind suddenly registered _for the both of you_. " When?" he asked, looking up to Prentiss.

"I think- I don't- Dave?"

"I'm sorry, but they both came back as positive." Saying those words made the eldest agent sick to his stomach; the hopelessness in both Hotch and Prentiss' eyes made him feel worse. He shifted his weight and asked, "You guys ok?"

"Yeah," Prentiss answered in a shaky voice, "I mean I'll be ok, I guess. I'm just glad that I know." Next to her, Hotch quietly layed back onto the bed with his eyes focused on a corner in the room. Rossi picked up that the Unit Chief was shutting down again and said, "Hey, let's go get some coffee," to Prentiss.

She nodded and followed him out into the hallway. Rossi took a breath and said, "We need to get the psychiatrist in with him."

"I think he feels weak and embarrassed more than anything else," Prentiss quickly glanced through the room window where she could see Hotch still in the same position, " Maybe he just needs time before we bring in psych."

"Mmhh. You keep an eye on him for that. Don't let him come back in the same position."

"What do you mean?"

He paused, letting out a annoyed sigh. "Strauss wants us to go back to Quantico. I argued with her, but…she won. I don't see Aaron getting out for another week or so, which Strauss deems too long of a time for the A team to be on stand-down."

"That's ridiculous."

"That's the job, Emily. Anyway, we'll come by around ten and then hit the jet….if I can get the team going."

"I know you don't want to leave him, Dave-"

"No one does, but again- it's the job. We all want to be there for him, but we know that he'll be in good hands." Rossi gave her a wink and added, "Be careful."

Hours later, Hotch sat at the edge of his bed as a doctor placed a stethoscope on his back. He had spent more than an hour in physical check-ups. His body still felt terrible, but it was still a large improvement from the day before. The entire time Prentiss stayed by his side, giving him encouraging looks whenever possible.

"Ok, Agent Hotchner. Take another breath for me," the doctor requested and the agent complied. He took a short breath before breaking into a cough. The doctor placed his stethoscope around his neck and stepped away from his patient.

"Your lungs are still weak. The ankle and burns are looking better, though," the doctor stated. Hotch nodded and adjusted his gown around his shoulders. "So when can I go home?" the agent asked.

"Agent Hotchner, your body went through a lot of abuse in a very short amount of time. Why the rush?"

Hotch looked down and mumbled, "I'm ready to go home."

The doctor paused. "Let's see how you do today before we look into you going home. This doesn't have anything to do with your team flying home today?"

"No, but I understand your concerns, doctor."

"Good. Get some rest- I'll be back to check on you in the morning." The doctor stepped out of the room, leaving Prentiss time alone with Hotch. She quickly glanced down to her phone once she felt it buzz with a text message.

"The team just got back to Quantico," Prentiss said after she read the text. Hotch climbed back under the sheets and mumbled," Ok. Emily?"

"Yeah?" Prentiss stepped closer to the bed at his question.

"Did you tell me that you loved me before I had fallen asleep?" Hotch asked. Prentiss paused, hesitant of answering the question. He picked up on it. "It's ok to answer. Also, I promise I won't fall asleep on you again."

Prentiss smiled. "Yes I did, but I-"

"I love you too," Hotch answered. He held out his hand towards her, which she took. Prentiss squeezed it and said, "And it only took a traumatic experience to get us together."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry for the delay!**

**Albany South Mental Health facility**

Stanley Dent placed a hand against the bars of his room window. He could only get a finger to touch the glass, leaving the faintest hint of a print on the glass. Two days had passed since he helped Hotch and Prentiss escape his parents. After, Stanley was taken to the police station, asked what felt to him like a million questions, and then sent here.

No one had told him where his parents were. Stanley missed Mary- Anne and Daniel dearly and questioned where they were hourly to the nurses. Unfortunately, the man received the same answer a lot of people had been telling him as of late: _don't worry about it._

Not seeing his parents wasn't the worse thing for Stanley because he had something to look forward to- Hotch and Prentiss' visit. The visit that Prentiss had promised right before both agents had been rescued. Stanley had plans set for the visit already- they would talk about being prince and princess, the world, and maybe even about what had happened at the Dents' home.

A nurse suddenly opened the door to the small patient room and called to Stanley, "Hey! Do you want to go sit outside?"

"No, I have to look nice. Aaron and Emily are going to visit me soon," Stanley answered. If he had been allowed a mirror, he would be checking his appearance at that moment. The nurse cocked her head in confusion. "Who told you that, sweetie?" she asked.

"They did- the princess promised me right before I helped them." The man quieted when the nurse didn't share his enthusiasm. She pointed around the room and stated, "Mr. Dent, Agent Hotchner and Agent Prentiss aren't coming to see you."

"No, but they promised! It's supposed to go just like in the story!"

"What story?" the nurse had now stepped away from Stanley, alert for any escalating behavior.

"Mamma told me a story of how the prince and princess visit all the brave people that helped them! She told me this every day since I was a boy- they promised me!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dent, but they aren't coming. Also the story your mother told you isn't real. It was only a fairy tale." The nurse stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. She then walked away, trying her hardest to ignore the screams of disappoint coming from Stanley Dent's room.

**Three days later- Greenbaugh Medical Center**

"So how's Arkansas?" Prentiss asked JJ, whom she was speaking on the phone to. While Prentiss was still in Albany with Hotch, the team was now on a case involving serial stabbings in Little Rock. For the new couple, the past week had flown by. Instead of focusing on the kidnapping, they had spent the days talking with each other, learning little facts here and there about each other that they hadn't known while Hotch healed. The couple hadn't done anything intimate; Prentiss knew she had to wait until Hotch was ready, especially as he struggled through the aftermath of the rape.

"It's probably not as great as Albany must be," JJ answered, "So you and Hotch fly home today?"

Prentiss laughed and looked over to Hotch, who was filling out discharge papers on his bed. " Yes, we head home. Some of the doctors think that it's a little early, but…..it's Aaron."

"Hmm, Aaron. So I can assume that you and Hotch are together?"

"You can assume right, missy." Hotch stepped out of the hospital room, causing Prentiss to say, "I have to go, Jay. He's ready to check out."

"Oh, come on. You can't just end it like that!"

"Sorry. Bye." Prentiss hung up and turned to her boyfriend. Hotch was still covered in cuts, but also had more liveliness and color back in him. He was also on crutches, something that he would be stuck with for seven weeks, much to the agent's dismay. Everything seemed to be returning back to normal for him…except for the nightmares. Every night, Hotch would wake up sweating or panting and there was little Prentiss could do that could comfort him.

"Ready to go?" she asked him. Hotch nodded and handed her his bag. "I'm ready when you are, Emily."

"Ha-ha. Come on." They started walking towards the elevators. Prentiss picked up on how quiet Hotch was and asked, "Everything ok?"

"I'm alright."

"I'm not going to let this slide just so you know." Hotch stopped in his tracks and weakly smiled at her. She grinned back, adding, " You can't pull the boss act on me anymore, Aaron."

"Oh darn," he chuckled softly as the elevator doors opened. Both stepped inside, Prentiss keeping a tight eye on Hotch. Once the doors closed and they descended, Prentiss said softly, "We'll be ok, you know."

"I know." Through Prentiss' eyes, his answer was too quiet. She gently laced her fingers between his. The Unit Chief didn't look up from the spot he was staring at on the floor.

"I just thought a quote that reminds us of our situation," Prentiss stated, "the author Hans Christian Anderson stated that 'life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all.' It's more about the Dents- I think they were so caught up in creating their own perfect little fairy tale that they forgot about….real life."

Hotch only responded by stepping out of the elevator when the doors opened onto the ground floor. Prentiss followed him out and continued, " Just don't forget that this will get better. Within a few weeks, months, you'll be running the team and," she grabbed his hand, "being my prince again, my real life prince."

Hotch hesitated before turning to face Prentiss. With only having one arm on his crutch, Hotch used the other hand to pull Prentiss into a passionate kiss. By then, his expression had softened. "Thank you," he told her, " I think that this is the part of the story where you're supposed to say-"

Prentiss pressed her body against Hotch and finished, "And they all lived happily ever after."

**The End**


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